s 


A 


DISCOURSE 


ON  THE 


LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 


OK  THE 


Rev.  HENRY  Y.  D.  JOHNS,  I).  D, 


I. ATE  RKCIOR  OK  EMANUEL  CHURCH,  BALTIMORE, 


By  JOSEPH  T.  SMITH 


Pastor  of  the  2d  Presbyterian  Church, 


MAY  22,  L859. 


jgeconti  Elution  tuitfj  an  ®ppentiti. 


B  A  L  T  I  M  ORB! 

Published  by  the  Maryland  Tract  Society, 

Tract  House,  73  Fayette-st. 

JOHN  W-  AVOODS,  PRINTER. 


1859 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


https://archive.org/details/discourseonlifec00smit_1 


A 


DISCOURSE 


OX  THE 


L  I  F  15  A  N  D  C  H  A  R  A  0  T  E  R 

OF  THE 

Rev.  HENRY  Y.  D.  JOHNS,  D.  D. 

LATE  RECTOR  OF  EMANUEL  CHURCH,  BALTIMORE, 

By  JOSEPH  T.  SMITH, 

Pastor  of  the  2d  Presbyterian  Church, 

MAY  22,  1859. 

- *  ■ 

■SeroiVO  latiitton  tuitlj  an  3pprirtjii. 


BALTIMORE: 

Published  by  the  Maryland  Tract  Society, 

Tract  House,  73  Fayette-st, 

JOHN  W-  WOODS,  PRINTER. 


1859. 


The  circumstances  connected  with  the  publication 
of  this  Memorial  of  Affection  are  sufficiently  ex¬ 
plained  by  the  following  extracts  and  correspondence  : 

Tract  House, 
Baltimore,  May  3 d,  1859. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Maryland 
Tract  Society,  this  day  held,  it  was,  on  motion  of  Mr.  A.  M. 
Carter,  unanimously  resolved,  that  the  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Smith 
be  requested  to  preach  a  Sermon  commemorative  of  the  Life 
and  Character  of  our  late  lamented  President,  and  that  ar¬ 
rangements  be  made  for  its  delivery  at  as  early  a  day  as  may 
be  convenient. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes , 

S.  B.  BRACKETT, 

Rec.  Secretary. 

Tract  House, 
Baltimore,  May  2ith ,  1859. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Managers  of  the  Maryland  Tract 
Society,  this  day  convened,  it  was,  on  motion,  unanimously 
resolved,  that  this  Board  hereby  express  our  very  great  grati¬ 
fication  with  the  Sermon  commemorative  of  the  life  and  char¬ 
acter  of  our  late  lamented  President,  the  Rev.  H.  V.  D.  Johns, 
D.  D.j  that  we  tender  our  cordial  thanks  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Smith  for  the  service  rendered  us,  and  that  we  request  a  copy 
for  publication. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes, 

S.  B.  BRACKETT, 

Rec.  Secretary. 


Southern  Pamphlets 
are  Book  Collection 
UNC-Chapel  Hill 


4 


Baltimore,  May  25th,  1H59. 

Rev.  J.  T.  Smith,  D.  D., 

Rev.  and  Dear  Sir, 

In  presenting  you  the  foregoing  action  of 
the  Managers  of  our  Tract  Society,  allow  us  to  assure  you  of 
our  earnest  personal  concurrence  in  the  sentiments  expressed, 
and  our  hope  that  you  will  see  no  objection  to  furnishing  a 
copy  for  publication.  Very  truly,  yours, 

In  behalf  of  the  Board, 

J.  W.  M.  WILLIAMS, 

G.  C.  M.  ROBERTS, 
ELIAS  HEINER, 

E.  Y.  REESE, 

HALSEY  DUNNING, 

A.  M.  CARTER, 

W.  K.  MERRITT, 
WILLIAM  BRIDGES. 

Baltimore,  May  25 th,  1859. 

Gentlemen  : 

The  Discourse  “on  the  Life  and  Character  of  Dr.  Johns,” 
a  copy  of  which  you  request  for  publication,  was  prepared  for 
an  audience  of  whose  cordial  sympathy  in  everything  my  heart 
prompted  me  to  say  of  him  I  was  sure.  I  fear  that  it  may  not 
be  suited  for  the  press,  or  for  the  hands  of  readers  wrho  did  not 
know  our  dear  friend  and  brother.  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty, 
howrever,  under  the  circumstances,  to  refuse  your  request,  and 
the  manuscript  is  herewith  placed  at  your  disposal. 

Respectfully  and  fraternally, 

Yours,  &c. 

JOSEPH  T.  SMITH. 

To  Rev.  J.  W.  M.  Williams, 

Rev.  Dr.  G.  C.  M.  Roberts, 

Rev.  Dr.  E.  Heiner, 
and  others. 


NOTE  13V  COMMITTEE  OF  PUBLICATION. 


The  Sermon,  it  may  be  proper  to  add,  was  delivered  in  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Rev.  Tuos.  E.  Pkck,  D.  D.,  Pas¬ 
tor,  on  Sabbath  P.  M.,  May  2‘2d,  to  one  of  the  largest  assem¬ 
blages  ever  convened  in  this  city  on  any  similar  occasion,  the 
vast  church  being  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and  multitudes 
being  unable  to  gain  admittance. 

The  services,  which  were  of  the  deepest  solemnity  and  ten¬ 
derness,  were  also  a  beautiful  illustration  of  Christian  union, 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  connected  with  eight  different  denomi¬ 
nations  participating  in  the  exercises. 


FOR  TO  ME  TO  LIVE  IS  CHRIST.  AND  TO  DIE  IS  GAIN.— Philippians  i,  21. 


These  words  were  penned  by  tlie  Apostle  while  a 
prisoner  in  Rome,  and  just  upon  the  eve  of  his  trial. 
They  may  be  regarded  as  his  last  words — the  deliber¬ 
ate  testimony  of  a  Christian  minister,  uttered  while 
standing  upon  the  border-line  between  life  and  death, 
calmly  surveying  both.  In  writing  to  the  Philippians, 
who  seem  to  have  been  to  him  what  the  family 
of  Bethany  was  to  the  Master,  the  Apostle  admits 
them  to  the  inmost  secrecies  of  his  soul  in  that 
solemn  hour.  He  tells  them  how  he  is  “in  a 
strait  betwixt  two” — having  “a  desire  to  depart,  and 
be  with  Christ,”  yet  wishing  still  “to  abide  with 
them  in  the  flesh  longing  for  his  rest  and  his  re¬ 
ward,  yet  willing  still  to  labor  and  to  suffer.  And 
then,  in  the  volume-embracing  words  of  our  text,  he 
sums  up  his  whole  estimate  of  those  two  tremendous 
facts — Life  and  Heath.  “For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ, 


8 


and  to  die  is  gain.”  As  if  lie  had  said,  “I  live,  yet 
not  I,  but  Christ,  who  is  my  life,  livetli  in  me ;  and 
the  life  that  I  now  live,  I  live  by  Faith  in  the  Son  of 
God.  I  live  not  unto  myself,  but  unto  Him  who 
loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for  me.  Christ  is  the 
beginning  and  the  end  ;  the  centre  and  the  _circum- 
ference ;  the  all  in  all  of  my  being.  I  live  for  no 
selfish  or  secular  end  ;  for  nothing  which  men  seek 
after,  or  the  world  can  bestow.  Accounting  my 
life  as  but  a  season  and  an  opportunity  for  doing  good, 
I  live  only  to  labor  for  Christ,  and  to  fill  up  what  is 
behind  of  His  sufferings,  and  I  am  willing  to  live 
for  Christ.  But  ‘to  die  is  gain’ — infinite  and  ever¬ 
lasting  gain.  I  shrink  not  from  the  approach  of  the 
last  enemy,  for  to  me  Christ  hath  abolished  Heath, 
and  put  these  words  of  triumph  in  my  mouth  :  0  ! 
Heath,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  0 !  Grave,  where  is  thy 
victory?  The  sting  of  Heath  is  sin,  and  the  strength 
of  sin  is  the  law ;  but  thanks  be  unto  God  who  givetli 
us  the  victory,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
And  then  Faith  looks  beyond  and  above.  Hence¬ 
forth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteous¬ 
ness.  In  my  Father’s  house  are  many  mansions,  and 
Christ  has  gone  before  to  prepare  a  place  for  me,  and 
it  will  be  gain  for  me  to  be  at  home — forever  at  home 
— with  Him.” 

Our  detailed  exposition  of  the  text  will  be  found  in 
the  life  and  death  of  that  man  of  God,  who  has  just 
been  removed  from  among  us  to  join  the  great  cloud 
of  witnesses  above.  We  undertake  this  service  as  a 


9 


feeble  tribute  to  departed  worth — as  a  new  testimony 
to  the  grace  of  God  towards  His  servants,  in  life  and 
in  death — and  as  a  fresh  incentive  to  renewed  dili¬ 
gence  in  the  duties  of  our  high  calling.  It  is  not  of 
the  man  we  would  speak,  but  of  the  disciple.  It  is 
not  the  man  we  would  glorify,  but  the  grace  of  God 
which  was  “exceeding  abundant”  towards  him.  And 
our  design  in  this  service  will  be  altogether  frustrated 
if  it  do  not  redound  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of 
God’s  grace. 


The  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke  Johns,  D.D.,  wvas 
born  in  Newcastle,  Delaware,  on  the  23d  day  of 
October,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1803.  He  was  the 
descendant  of  an  old  Maryland  family,  founded  by 
Richard  Johns,  who  emigrated  from  England  and 
settled  in  Calvert  County  in  1717.  He  was  the  son 
of  the  late  Judge  Kensey  Johns,  and  brother  of  the 
late  Chancellor  of  Delaware,  and  of  the  present  Bishop 
of  Virginia.  He  inherited  from  his  ancestors  the  rich¬ 
est  of  all  legacies — the  blessing  entailed  from  father 
to  son  upon  the  generations  of  those  who  fear  God. 
A  child  of  the  covenant,  and  sealed  with  the  seal  of 
the  covenant  in  infancy,  his  character  was  formed  and 
unfolded  amidst  the  hallowed  influences  of  a  Christian 
home. 

His  collegiate  education  was  commenced  at  Prince¬ 
ton,  while  the  college,  under  the  Presidency  of  Dr. 
Green,  was  visited  with  that  memorable  revival  which 


10 


gave  so  many  ministers  to  the  Church,  and  baptized 
them  with  so  large  a  measure  of  the  Spirit.  The 
subject  of  religious  impressions  from  his  earliest  child¬ 
hood,  these  were  deepened  by  contact  with  the  revival 
spirit,  and  especially  by  the  ministrations  of  the  late 
Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  The  following  incident, 
connected  with  this  period  of  his  life,  is  from  the  pen 
of  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander.  “The  first  person 
with  whom  I  ever  talked  freely  concerning  the  infinite 
concerns  of  my  soul,  was  Henry  V.  D.  Johns,  and  he 
has  told  me  that  a  like  remark  was  true  of  himself. 
It  was  in  Nassau  Hall,  then  the  principal  edifice  of 
Princeton  College,  and  in  No.  27  in  the  ‘second 
entry,’  a  locality  fresh  in  the  memory  of  old  Nassovi- 
ans.  We  were  boys  of  sixteen,  though  I  was  about 
to  commence  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Such  conversations 
begin  one  scarcely  knows  how  ;  in  a  short  time  we 
had  unbosomed  ourselves  to  one  another,  and  entered 
upon  a  close  and  tender  friendship,  which,  I  trust  in 
God,  is  never  to  cease.  During  the  days  in  which 
Henry  was  under  the  work  of  the  law,  and  humbly 
doubting  whether,  indeed,  he  had  attained  to  justifi¬ 
cation  or  not,  he  used  to  walk  in  the  grove  behind  the 
college,  which,  alas,  with  other  forest  shades  of  my 
boyhood,  has  long  since  vanished  away.  As  he 
strayed,  musing,  his  eye  was  attracted  by  a  small 
folded  paper  upon  the  ground  ;  this  he  picked  up, 
and  afterwards  showed  to  me  ;  it  contained  these 
words:  ‘And  they  that  are  Christ’s  have  crucified 
the  flesh  with  the  affections  and  lusts.’  Gal.  v,  24. 


11 


*  Try  yourself  by  this.'’  This  incident  made  a  deep 
impression  on  us  both,  conveying  to  our  apprehen¬ 
sions,  at  that  time,  something  of  the  supernatural. 
We  have  talked  it  over  in  later  years,  and  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  it  had  a  moulding  influence  on 
Johns’  experience  and  life.”  Under  these  blessed 
influences  the  seed,  sown  and  watered  through  so 
many  years,  ripened  in  his  heart  into  its  glorious  har¬ 
vest.  Here  he  received  that  Baptism  of  the  Spirit 
which  made  him  the  Evangelist  he  was. 

Partly  from  considerations  of  health,  and  partly 
from  the  disturbed  state  of  the  college  during  the  last 
years  of  Dr.  Green’s  administration,  he  removed  from 
Princeton,  and  was  graduated  at  Union,  in  1823. 
Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  commenced  his 
studies  for  the  ministry,  first  with  his  brother,  and 
then  at  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  N.  Y. 
He  was  ordained  a  Deacon  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  by  the  venerated  Bishop  White,  in  Emanuel 
Church,  Newcastle,  Delaware,  in  1826,  and  a  Presby¬ 
ter  by  Bishop  Chase,  in  St.  John’s  Church,  Wash¬ 
ington,  D.  C.,  in  1828.  Soon  after  he  received  an  ap¬ 
pointment  as  Chaplain  in  the  Navy,  and  was  assigned 
to  the  vessel  which  was  to  convey  Lafayette  back 
from  his  last  visit  to  the  United  States  to  his  native 
land.  After  prayerful  deliberation,  however,  he  was 
led  to  devote  his  life  to  the  pastorate.  And  in  a  little 
unfurnished  hall,  with  a  rude  pine  table  for  his  pulpit, 
lie  gathered  and  organized  his  first  church,  now 
Trinity  Church,  in  Washington.  Thence  he  removed 


12 


to  Baltimore,  and  ministered,  for  a  time,  to  “Old 
Trinity,”  under  circumstances  of  great  discourage¬ 
ment.  Thence  lie  removed  to  Frederick,  Md.,  and 
thence,  after  the  lapse  of  five  years,  back  to  Baltimore, 
where  he  organized  and  served  for  a  time  St.  Andrew’s 
Church.  This  church  being  weak  and  struggling  with 
many  embarrassments,  he  was  induced  to  accept  a 
charge  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  labored  with  great 
acceptance  until  1842,  when  he  was  called  to  Christ 
Church,  Baltimore,  to  which  he  ministered  until  the 
organization  of  Emanuel,  in  1854,  in  the  service  of 
which  he  died. 

In  asking  me  to  sketch  the  character  of  this  man  of 
God,  so  as  to  give  the  proper  relief  to  its  more  prom¬ 
inent  features,  you  have  called  me  to  a  task  to  which 
I  feel  myself  inadequate.  My  personal  relations  to 
Dr.  Johns  have  so  endeared  his  memory,  that  I  can 
speak  of  him  only  with  the  affectionate  partiality  of  a 
son  for  a  revered  father.  My  personal  intercourse 
with  him  was  such,  that  his  faults,  whatever  they 
were,  were  never  discovered.  The  only  portrait  I  can 
draw  of  him,  truthfully,  must  be  all  in  light ;  you 
must  supply  the  shades. 

I.  Intellectually,  he  may  be  best  characterized,  per¬ 
haps,  by  that  expressive  phrase,  “a  well  balanced 
mind.”  His  mental  faculties,  such  as  they  were, 
were  all  in  a  state  of  happy  equipoise.  None  were 
wanting,  none  were  in  excess,  and  all  were  blended 
into  a  structure,  beautiful  and  symmetrical  as  a  Grecian 


13 


temple.  He  had  not  Genius,  but  lie  had  many  and 
varied  Talents.  He  was  not  the  Palm,  gathering  all  its 
riches  into  its  tufted  top,  and  lifting  that  up  to  the 
clouds,  and  out  of  reach  ;  he  was  the  humbler  Olive 
tree,  covered  all  over  with  branches,  laden  with  the 
choicest  fruit,  and  bending  down  to  the  earth. 

He  was,  through  life,  an  indefatigable  student  ; 
feeding  his  people  with  knowledge  and  not  with  wind. 
It  was  his  habit  to  spend  the  earlier  part  of  every 
week  in  reading,  chiefly  professional ;  and  the  latter 
part  in  arranging  and  elaborating  his  discourses,  not 
writing,  but  manipulating  them  with  his  thoughts  till 
they  stood  out  complete  and  illuminated  in  every  part 
before  his  mind’s  eye — scrupulously  redeeming  for 
this  purpose,  every  fragment  of  time,  cut  up  as  his 
time  always  was,  into  fragments.  Ilis  style  was  sin¬ 
gularly  chaste,  almost  classic.  Ilis  language  was  pol¬ 
ished,  until  like  the  clearest  crystal,  it  transmitted 
without  tinofincc  or  refracting  the  light  of  his  thoughts. 
He  had  acquired  the  art,  so  seldom  acquired,  of  say¬ 
ing  exactly  what  lie  wanted  to  say.  He  was  not  elo¬ 
quent,  in  the  popular  and  profane  sense  of  that  word. 
He  knew  not,  and  despised  to  know  how  to  make  the 
crowd  gape  and  applaud.  He  practiced  no  stares  or 
starts,  or  mouthings  or  attitudenizings,  or  stage  tricks, 
or  pulpit  impertinencies  of  any  kind.  Self-possessed, 
simple,  solemn,  he  might  have  served  for  the  original 
of  Cowper’s  preacher. 

But  his  chief  power,  and  it  is  the  highest  species 
of  power — far  mightier  than  the  strong  arm,  or 


14 


the  giant  intellect,  or  the  iron  will — was  the  power 
of  goodness.  I  say  it  deliberately,  and  you,  who 
have  known  him  so  long  and  so  well,  are  ail 
witnesses,  Dr.  Johns  approached  as  near  perfection 
in  moral  character,  as  is  allowed  to  mortals.  His 
tastes  were  all  elevated,  his  sensibilities  refined,  his 
whole  nature  recoiled  with  its  very  strongest  instincts 
from  the  approach  of  anything  low  or  base.  His 
spirit,  gentle  as  that  of  a  child,  loving  as  that  of  a 
mother,  was  the  clear  reflection  of  His  “who  was 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart.”  He  was  “clothed  with 
humility,”  as  with  a  garment,  which  only  heightened 
while  it  sought  to  conceal  his  excellence.  Simple  and 
unpretentious,  always  ready  to  take  the  lowest  place, 
and  to  esteem  others  better  than  himself ;  like  the 
Master,  lie  accounted  it  his  highest  honor  to  be 
“the  servant  of  all.”  Forgetful  of  himself,  there  was 
nothing  about  him  to  repel  the  approach  of  the  hum¬ 
blest  ;  and  “nothing  which  concerned  man  did  he  re¬ 
gard  as  foreign  to  himself.”  His  sympathies  were  quick 
and  warm,  leading  him  to  enter  intuitively,  and  with 
his  whole  heart,  into  the  feelings  of  others — to  “rejoice 
with  those  who  rejoiced  and  to  weep  with  those  who 
wept.”  Who  ever  approached  him  in  perplexity  or 
in  sorrow  and  did  not  find  him  a  brother  indeed  ?  O  ! 
how  this  large-heartedness  grappled  his  friends  to  him 
with  hooks  of  steel.  The  purity  of  his  motives  was 
transparent,  the  sincerity  of  his  professions  undoubted. 
And  this  goodness  made  itself  felt  everywhere  as  a 
mighty  power.  There  was  a  majesty  about  it  which 


15 


rebuked  from  its  presence  everything  mean  or  un¬ 
manly.  There  was  an  inspiration  about  it  which  im¬ 
parted,  at  least  a  temporary,  elevation,  to  all  who 
came  within  its  reach.  There  was  a  charm  about  it 
which  extorted  the  homage  even  of  the  worldly  and  the 
profane.  How  often  has  the  remark  been  heard  from 
the  lips  of  such,  “I  like  Dr.  Johns,  for  I  believe  he  is 
a  good  man.”  Seldom  has  the  power  of  goodness 
been  more  signally  exemplified  in  any  community. 
The  gentleness  and  purity  which  surrounded  him  as  a 
halo,  were,  however,  far  from  being  associated  with 
weakness  or  pusillanimity  of  spirit .  He  was  firm  and 
inflexible,  as  was  shown  more  than  once  in  the  course 
of  his  ministerial  life,  where  the  truth  was  at  stake. 
He  was  always  courageous  for  the  Right — a  very  hero 
where  the  glory  of  his  Master,  the  success  of  his  cause 
or  the  liberties  of  his  people  were  concerned. 

But  we  have  not  yet  reached  “the  hiding”  of  his 
power.  His  Goodness  was  sanctified  and  sublimated 
into  Piety.  His  Virtues  were  transfigured  into  Graces. 
He  was  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  the  light 
which  shone  about  him  was  the  light  of  Heaven. 
His  piety  was  after  the  earlier,  apostolic  standard — 
healthful,  genial,  expansive,  laborious.  He  was  no 
enthusiast,  floating  through  dream-lands,  and  feeding 
on  visions  and  ecstacies.  He  had  no  revelations, 
save  such  as  were  common  to  his  brethren.  The  holy 
things  of  his  own  heart  he  delighted  not  to  drag  from 
their  inner  sanctuary,  and  expose  to  the  rude  gaze, 
and  ruder  handling  of  the  multitude.  His  religious 


16 


experiences  were  eminently  sober  and  scriptural. 
His  religion  approved  itself,  as  towards  God,  in  a  life 
of  Consecration. 

“All  that  I  am  and  all  I  have 
Shall  be  forever  thine.” 

These  words  in  his  lips,  were  to  be  taken  in  their 
true  literal  import.  He  was  pre-eminently  a  man  of 
prayer.  He  saw  Him  who  is  invisible.  He  walked 
with  God.  He  was  often  with  Him  on  the  Mount, 
talking  with  Him  “as  a  man  with  his  friend,”  till  his 
face  shone.  Three  times  a  day,  it  was  his  invariable 
custom,  from  his  first  entrance  on  the  divine  life,  to 
retire  for  secret  prayer.  Every  important  under¬ 
taking  was  commenced  with  prayer;  and  in  every 
perplexity  he  sought  first  the  wisdom  that  cometh 
from  above.  How  often  when  friends  have  gone  to 
consult  him,  has  he  risen  up  and  locked  his  study 
door,  and  said,  now  that  we  can  be  alone,  let  us  pray. 
As  towards  man  his  religion  approved  itself  by  a  life 
of  Benevolence.  He  was  always  ready  to  do  good. 
What  good  cause  ever  failed  to  find  in  him  a  friend 
and  an  advocate?  His  time,  his  talents,  his  influence, 
his  money,  all  were  freely  employed  to  promote  the 
best  interests  of  society.  Throughout  his  life  it  was  his 
rule  to  devote  the  one-tenth  of  all  his  income  to  char¬ 
itable  uses.  And  so  scrupulous  was  he  in  enforcing 
this  rule  upon  himself,  that  whenever  he  received  a 
present,  even  thoughtrifling — a  book,  a  wedding-fee, 
a  basket  of  fruit — he  put  a  valuation  upon  it,  and  gave 


IV 


the  one-tenth  unto  the  Lord.  For  to  him  “to  live 
was  Christ.” 

II.  The  gospel  he  preached  was  the  gospel  of  the 
apostles  and  the  reformers — the  gospel  of  the  articles 
and  the  homilies.  His  doctrinal  views  were  clearly 
and  distinctively  evangelical ;  sharply  distinguished 
on  the  one  side  from  Rationalism,  and  on  the  other 
from  Romanism.  I  cannot  better  express  them  than 
in  his  own  language:  “Holy  Scripture;  the  sole 
source  and  rule  of  faith,  not  Scripture  and  tradition 
as  its  joint  rule  Man — a  fallen  and  depraved  being, 
utterly  unable  by  his  own  strength  to  save  himself ; 
and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  an  all-sufficient  and  per¬ 
fect  Saviour.  Repentance — consisting  in  the  know¬ 
ledge  of  sin,  sorrow  for  sin,  abandoning  of  sin,  and 
turning  fully  unto  God.  Saving  Faith — the  repose  of 
the  stricken  soul  upon  the  testimony  of  God  concern¬ 
ing  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  our  only  Saviour,  Mediator 
and  Redeemer.  Pardon — the  direct  gift  of  Christ  to 
every  one  that  believeth  with  the  heart,  with  no  in¬ 
tervention  other  than  the  truth  and  spirit  of  God,  not 
dependent  on  a  priestly  or  human  agency  for  its  cer¬ 
tainty  of  reception.  Justification — a  free  act  of  God, 
in  consideration  of  the  obedience  and  death  of  Christ, 
received  by  faith  without  works;  ‘not an  inward  char¬ 
acter  in  man,  consisting  of  faith  as  one  of  a  catalogue 
of  justifying  graces.’  Sanctification — the  progressive 
work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  restoring  the  image  of  God 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness  to  the  soul,  and  thus 
in  all  scriptural  obedience  and  Godly  living,  by  the 


18 


truth,  making  us  new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Sanctification,  being  a  work  performed  within  us; 
Justification,  a  work  performed  without  us.  Justifi¬ 
cation,  rendering  us  safe  in  view  of  death  and  judg¬ 
ment  ;  Sanctification  giving  us  evidence  that  we  are 
safe.”  Paul  could  have  subscribed  such  a  creed  as 
that,  and  Luther  and  Cranmer,  for  it  is  the  glorious 
gospel  of  the  blessed  God.  And  in  proclaiming 
these  great  cardinal  truths,  he  uttered  no  “uncertain 
sound,”  his  silvery  voice  rang  them  out  clearly  and 
sharply,  so  that  all  must  hear  and  none  could  mistake. 

As  a  Pastor,  he  chiefly  excelled.  His  great  useful¬ 
ness,  and  the  almost  unexampled  love  his  people  bore 
to  him  were  largely  attributable  to  his  ministrations 
at  the  fireside,  and  in  the  sick  chamber,  and  the 
house  of  mourning ;  his  earnest  personal  appeals  to 
the  careless  and  impenitent,  and  his  affectionate  coun¬ 
sels  to  those  who  were  asking  after  the  “way  of  life.” 

His  ministry  was  eminently  fruitful  He  has  left 
to  this  city  three  churches,  free  from  debt,  and  main¬ 
taining  regularly  the  ordinances  of  God’s  house — 
Emanuel  Church — Emanuel  Chapel,  and  Cranmer 
Chapel.  The  church  he  served,  though  one  of  the 
youngest,  appears  from  the  last  Journal  of  the  Pro¬ 
testant  Episcopal  Church  in  Maryland,  to  be  the  first 
in  the  State,  in  the  number  of  its  communicants, 
and  the  general  evidences  of  pastoral  usefulness. 
All  over  this  city  are  those  who  honor  him,  and 
mourn  for  him  as  their  spiritual  father.  And  in 
every  place  where  he  has  ministered,  many — how 


19 


many,  the  judgment  alone  can  declare — have  been 
given  him,  and  will  yet  be  given  him,  as  “seals  of 
his  ministry.” 

Dr.  Johns  was  earnestly,  and  honestly,  and  upon 
mature  conviction,  attached  to  the  distinctive  polity  of 
his  own  church,  as,  in  his  view,  most  closely  con¬ 
formed  to  the  apostolic  model.  Be  was  in  principle, 
what  he  was  by  profession,  a  Protestant  Episcopalian. 

1  make  this  remark  emphatic,  because  his  hearty 
sympathy  and  co-operation  with  evangelical  Chris¬ 
tians  of  all  churches,  have  sometimes  given  rise  to 
the  suspicion — a  suspicion  which  has  been  even  pub¬ 
licly  expressed — that  ho  was  not  fully  loyal  to  the 
church  he  served.  He  held  that  there  was  nothing 
in  his  relations  as  an  Episcopalian,  inconsistent  with 
his  higher  relations  as  a  Protestant  and  a  Christian — 
nothing  which  compelled  him,  for  a  form  or  a  rite, 
“a  baptism  or  a  laying  on  of  hands”  to  unchurch  and 
hand  over  to  “uncovenanted  mercies,”  millions  of  the 
living  and  the  dead,  who  bore  the  seal  of  the  Spirit. 
With  the  founders  and  earlier  and  greater  lights  of 
his  own  church — her  Cranmers,  and  Ushers,  and 
Burnets,  and  Taylors,  and  Leightons,  and  Halls,  he 
held  that  Episcopacy  was  not  a  doctrine,  but  a  fact; 
not  of  divine  command,  but  only  of  apostolic  example — 
the  best,  but  not  the  only  form ;  so  that,  while  all  are 
bound  to  accept  it,  the  want  of  it  does  not  necessarily, 
and  of  itself,  exclude  from  the  covenant.  He  believed 
that  the  visible  church  with  its  ministries  and  sacra- 


20 


ments,  was  but  a  means  of  grace,  not  that  grace  itself ; 
an  instrumentality  for  diffusing  the  blessings  of  salva¬ 
tion,  not  that  salvation  itself.  But  he  did  not  believe 
that  the  grace  of  God  was  inseparably  incorporated 
with  the  church,  nor  that  his  truth  and  spirit  were  so 
tied  to  the  episcopate  as  to  be  “of  none  effect”  without 
it.  External  forms  and  rites,  and  orders  and  succes¬ 
sions  in  the  ministry,  however  necessary  to  the  com¬ 
pleteness,  he  did  not  regard  as  essential  to  the  being  of 
a  church.  In  his  view  there  was  nothing  incompatible 
between  the  ideas  of  a  divinely  appointed  ministry, 
and  a  church  which  embraces  all  who  believed  the 
truth,  and  were  sanctified  by  the  spirit  of  God. 
Outside  of  the  pale  of  episcopacy  were  thousands  who 
gave  ample  evidence  that  they  were  partakers  of  the 
same  grace,  and  heirs  of  the  same  promises  as  those 
within,  and  these  he  rejoiced  to  acknowledge  as  breth¬ 
ren.  “Although,” — -I  quote  his  own  words  from  a 
letter  addressed  to  a  Presbyterian  Minister — “Al¬ 
though  of  another  branch  of  the  great  family  of  our 
common  Lord,  I  long  to  see  the  cause  of  true  religion 
prosper  every  where;  and  while  I  could  wish  all  you 
Presbyterian  brethren  were  as  I  am,  save  these  bonds 
of  sin  which  hang  around  my  own  poor  heart,  I  am 
yet  content  to  wish  you  God  speed  in  your  own  way ; 
and  to  rejoice  whenever,  and  wheresoever,  and  by 
whomsoever  Christ  is  preached  and  souls  brought 
home  to  God.”  In  the  language  of  one  who  speaks 
by  authority  here,  “matters  of  ecclesiastical  arrange¬ 
ment  and  government  were  esteemed  by  him  within 


the  privilege  of  individual  choice,  and  were  not  en¬ 
grafted  into  the  essentials  of  Christianity  itself.  He 
respected  the  preferences  of  others,  and  claimed  the 
same  for  his  own,  in  the  matter  of  form  and  order, 
but  he  belonged,  by  the  grace  of  God,  also,  to  that 
heaven  destined  body  which  his  own  church  defines 
as  “the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  the  communion  of 
saints,  which  is  the  blessed  company  of  all  faithful 
people.”  He  occupied  the  broad  Protestant  platform 
where  we  stand  side  by  side  to-day,  in  perfect  consist¬ 
ency  with  his  own  principles,  and  in  the  full  integrity 
of  his  heart.  His  professions  of  fraternal  regard  to¬ 
ward  all,  of  every  name,  who  bore  the  imprint  of 
his  Master’s  image  (professions  so  often  suspected 
and  suspicious,  so  often  but  the  cloak  of  selfish  and 
sinister  designs)  were  the  genuine  and  unaffected  ut¬ 
terances  of  his  heart.  Everywhere,  in  the  pulpit, 
on  the  platform,  in  ecclesiastical  conventions,  he 
maintained,  consistently,  and  with  unflinching  firm¬ 
ness,  the  broad  principles  of  Christian  Fraternity. 
His  name  belongs  to  no  sect  or  segment  of  the  house¬ 
hold  of  faith,  it  is  the  common  inheritance  of  us  all. 
The  whole  “company  of  faithful  people”  honored  him 
living,  and  mourned  for  him  dead,  as  the  champion 
of  Protestant  unity. 

III.  His  sympathies  overleaping  all  narrow  denom¬ 
inational  limits,  were  wide  as  the  world— wide  as  both 
worlds.  How  largely  were  all  our  benevolent  insti¬ 
tutions,  our  House  of  Refuge,  our  Asylums,  our  In¬ 
firmaries,  indebted  to  his  judicious  counsels,  and  un- 


wearied  labors.  “When  the  ear  heard  him  then  it 
blessed  him,  and  when  the  eye  saw  him  it  bare  wit¬ 
ness  to  him,  because  he  delivered  the  poor  that  cried, 
and  the  fatherless,  and  him  that  had  none  to  help 
him ;  the  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish 
came  upon  him,  and  he  caused  the  widow’s-  heart  to 
sing  for  joy.” 

His  heart  was  knit  especially  to  those  great  twin 
institutions  which  unite  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus, 
in  direct  efforts  to  save  souls.  When  he  spoke  of  the 
Bible  Society,  or  the  Tract  Society,  his  countenance 
always  glowed,  his  tongue  was  always  eloquent.  Ho 
loved  them  for  their  works’  sake.  He  loved  them  as 
the  visible  signs  and  symbols  of  Christian  unity,  the 
broad  banner  of  our  common  Protestantism  flung 
to  the  winds,  and  rallying  around  itself  all  the  divi¬ 
sions  of  the  great  army  of  salvation.  He  was  present 
at  the  organization  of  the  American  Tract  Society,  in 
1825,  a  scene  which  all  who  witnessed  described  as  a 
foreshadowing  of  heaven — and  to  use  his  own  lan¬ 
guage,  at  its  recent  anniversary,  “From  that  day  to 
this,  I  have  felt  it  a  privilege  and  a  duty,  in  the  pul¬ 
pit  and  upon  the  platform,  and  upon  every  occasion 
in  which  Providence  afforded  me  an  opportunity,  to 
advocate  the  claims  of  this  Society,  as  one  of  the  great 
movements  in  our  Protestant  cause  ;  and  I  have  look¬ 
ed  upon  it  as  spreading  an  influence  over  the  general 
literature  of  our  country,  with  which  no  other  agency 
could  begin  to  compare,  Hence,  I  most  cordially 


‘23 


endorse  the  sentiments  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  that  if 
this  Society  were  crippled  in  anyway  in  its  operations, 
it  would  he  a  day  of  darkness  to  our  common  Christi¬ 
anity  ;  a  day  of  rejoicing  to  infidelity  and  Romanism, 
from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other.”  He  believed 
with  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  when  he  said,  “I  doubt 
whether  there  is  in  the  world  at  this  time,  an  institu¬ 
tion,  the  Christian  Ministry  excepted,  more  efficiently 
employed  in  conveying  the  Gospel  to  all  classes  of 
society.”  Next  to  the  Ministry,  both  these  sainted 
men  regarded  the  Tract  Society  as  the  great  instru¬ 
mentality  for  evangelizing  the  world. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  Dr.  Johns  was  the  President 
of  the  Maryland  Tract  Society.  “Dr.  Johns,”  I  quote 
the  language  of  its  Secretary,  the  Rev.  S.  Guiteau,  in 
announcing  officially  his  death,  “has  presided  over  this 
Society  during  the  whole  of  its  existence.  It  is  now 
about  fifteen  years  since  the  friends  of  this  branch  of 
Christian  effort  judged  best  to  reorganize  the  Baltimore 
Tract  Society,  one  of  the  oldest  associations  of  the  kind 
in  the  country,  to  enlarge  the  sphere  of  its  action  ;  and 
assume  the  name  it  now  bears.  On  that  occasion  it 
was  made  my  duty  to  call  on  Dr.  Johns,  and  ascer¬ 
tain  if  he  was  willing  to  become  our  President.  His 
reply  was  characteristic,  ‘I  would  advise  you  to  get 
a  man  better  suited  for  the  place,  but  if  my  services 
are  desired,  they  shall  be  cheerfully  rendered.’  You 
will  all  bear  witness  how  fully  he  has  redeemed  this 
pledge.  From  that  day  to  this  day  of  mourning,  it 
has  been  both  my  duty  and  my  happiness,  often  to 


‘24 


call  and  confer  with  him  as  to  what  was  wise  and  best 
to  do.  I  have  never  found  him  so  busy,  or  so 
fatigued,  that  he  was  not  ready  to  listen  to  my  state¬ 
ments.  Nor  was  it  a  mere  passing  consideration  that 
he  gave  to  these  interests ;  but  an  earnestness  of 
thought,  such  as  men  are  wont  to  bestow  on  their  per¬ 
sonal  concerns.  I  have  never  conversed  with  a  man 
who  had  a  higher  appreciation  of  this  department  of 
Christian  benevolence.”  His  services,  in  organizing 
and  presiding  so  long  and  so  efficiently  over  the 
Maryland  Tract  Society,  were  invaluable ;  and  his 
name  will  always  be  preserved  among  her  most  pre¬ 
cious  household  treasures. 

IV.  And  now  we  come  to  the  last  sad  scene  of 
all.  His  work  here  was  done,  and  the  Master  had 
need  of  him  for  a  more  glorious  service  above. 
While  he  yet  went  in  and  out  among  us,  we  saw  the 
handwriting  of  death  upon  him.  A  concealed  malady 
was  slowly  drying  up  the  fountains  of  life,  and  em¬ 
balming  his  body  for  its  burial.  His  soul  was  mel¬ 
lowing  and  ripening  for  Heaven,  and  bathing  itself 
continually  in  the  light  of  G-od’s  countenance.  Ere 
yet  he  approached  the  dark  border  river,  or  felt  its 
first  ripples  upon  his  feet,  he  was  admitted — as  is 
sometimes  granted  to  Pilgrims — to  “the  Land  of 
Beulah,”  that  Heaven  this  side  of  death,  and  close 
upon  its  borders,  where  the  birds  always  sing,  and 
the  flowers  always  bloom,  and  the  sun  shineth  night 
and  day,  and  the  shining  ones  come  forth  and  walk — 
he  stood  upon  the  Delectable  Mountains,  whence  he 


25 


could  see  the  open  gates  of  the  Celestial  City  ;  and  so 
strengthened  and  cheered  by  these  glimpses  and  fore¬ 
tastes  of  the  Better  Land  beyond,  he  was  enabled  to 
go  forward,  singing  that  blessed  Psalm  of  faith  :  “Yea 
though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  I  will  fear  no  evil :  for  thou  art  with  me  ;  thy 
rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  mo.” 

His  last  sickness,  he  knew  from  the  first,  was  the 
Messenger  of  J esus  to  call  him  home.  His  sufferings 
were  intense  and  protracted,  till  his  poor  body  was 
weary  with  its  groanings,  and  its  tossings  to  and  fro ; 
but  his  soul  was  kept  in  perfect  peace  ;  for  God  was 
the  strength  of  his  heart,  and  his  portion.  Come  let 
us  gather  around  his  death-bed  and  see  how  a  Chris- 
tiandies.  He  is  looking  back  over  his  past  life,  and 
thinking  of  that  world  he  must  so  soon  leave,  but 
there  are  no  regrets  ;  for  his  language  is  “I  am  now 
ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at 
hand ;  I  have  fought  a  good*  fight ;  I  have  finished 
my  course  ;  I  have  kept  the  faith  ;  henceforth  there  is 
laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness.”  His  weep¬ 
ing  family  are  around  him ;  the  memories  of  dear 
absent  friends  come  crowding  fast  upon  him  ;  but  he 
shrinks  not  from  the  stroke  which  must  sunder  so 
many  tender  ties  at  once  ;  for  he  knows  his  Heavenly 
Father  will  take  care  of  the  bleeding  hearts  he  leaves 
behind,  and  all  will  soon  be  reunited,  never,  never  to 
part  again.  He  sees  death,  the  last  dread  enemy, 
approaching  nearer  and  nearer ;  but  even  as  he  looks, 
the  monster  is  suddenly  transformed  into  a  Messenger 


of  Mercy,  his  crown  of  terrors  falls  off,  his  dart  is 
broken,  his  sting  withdrawn,  and  the  dying  saint  sings, 
“0  !  Death  where  is  thy  sting?  0!  Grave  where 
is  thy  victor)7-?  Thanks  be  unto  God  who  givetli  us 
the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  He 
looks  down  into  the  grave  just  opening  at  his  feet, 
but  it  is  no  longer  a  cold,  or  dark,  or  silent,  or 
lonely  place.  It  is  a  hallowed  spot — Jesus  lay  there. 
His  father  lies  there,  his  mother,  the  dear  friends  of 
other  days,  Patriarchs,  Prophets,  Apostles,  all  the 
sainted  dead,  and  he  is  ready  to  lie  down  and  sleep 
by  their  side.  He  looks  upward  ;  and  his  countenance 
becomes  radiant,  his  filmy  eye  sparkles  with  more 
than  its  old  lustre,  the  anticipated  radiance  of  Heaven 
surrounds  him  as  a  glory ;  for  he  sees  his  Saviour 
beckoning  him  away ;  and  with  glad  voice  he  answers — 
they  were  among  his  last  words — “Yes,  Jesus,  I  come ! 
I  come  to  thee  !”  It  would  seem,  as  if  like  the  dying 
Stephen,  he  saw  Heaven  opened,  and  the  Son  of  Man 
standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  calling  and  beck¬ 
oning  him  away. 

On  his  death-bed  he  left  these  three  legacies.  The 
first  is  for  that  people  he  loved  and  served  so  well  in 
the  Gospel.  Said  he  to  those  who  stood  around  him  : 

“I  CANNOT  EXPRESS  THE  PLEASURE  IT  HAS  BEEN  TO  ME 
TO  SERVE  THIS  PEOPLE  ;  THEY  HAVE  BEEN  SO  KIND,  SO 

considerate.”  The  second  is  for  us  all.  It  was  in 
his  last  night  on  earth.  His  sufferings  were  intense, 
and  he  had  thrown  himself  across  the  bed,  with  his 
face  downward.  His  brother,  Bishop  J ohns,  was  by  his 


side,  holding  his  hands ;  while  a  beloved  son  pillowed 
his  head.  The  windows  were  thrown  open  to  the 
night  to  give  him  air.  Controlling  his  sufferings  for  a 
moment,  by  a  strong  mental  effort,  he  looked  up,  and 
said  in  a  clear  calm  voice  to  his  brother,  “Brother! 

IT  IS  ALL  AS  CLEAR  AS  A  SUNBEAM,  AND  SO  COMFORT¬ 
ING.”  Racked  with  pain  ;  his  face  bowed  to  the  earth ; 
amidst  the  darkness  of  midnight ;  his  only  comfort  the 
cold  night  winds  that  swept  over  him  ;  it  was  noonday 
in  his  soul,  for  Heaven’s  own  sunbeams  filled  and  flooded 
its  chambers.  The  third,  too,  is  for  us  all.  A  few 
hours  before  his  death,  he  said  to  those  who  watched 
around  him,  “Before  my  mind  leaves  me,  I  wish  to 

SAY  THREE  THINGS.  I  COMMIT  MY  FAMILY  TO  THE  CARE 

of  my  Heavenly  Father — knowing  that  he  will 

DO  FAR  MORE  THAN  I  HAVE  EVER  BEEN  ABLE  TO  DO  FOR 
THEIR  PROTECTION  ;  THAT  I  LEAVE  MY  ClIURCII  TO  THE 
GUARDIAN  CARE  OF  ALMIGHTY  GoD  ;  AND  THAT  YOU 
MUST  TELL  MY  FRIENDS,  I  AM  A  SINNER  SAVED  BY  GRACE, 

and  that  God  my  Saviour  has  not  forsaken  his 
poor  servant  in  iiis  dying  hour.”  And  so  he  fell 
asleep,  calmly  peacefully,  as  an  infant  sinks  to  slum¬ 
ber. 


“He  died,  as  sets  the  Morning  Star,  which  goes 
Not  down  behind  the  darkened  west;  nor  hides 
Obscured  among  the  tempests  of  the  sky, 

But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  heaven.” 


And  then,  devout  men  came  and  carried  him  to  his 
burial.  That  funeral,  who  that  witnessed,  can  ever 


forget  it.  It  seemed  as  if  this  whole  city  were  draped 
as  a  funeral  mansion ,  and  every  inhabitant  came 
forth  as  a  mourner  That  densely  crowded  church; 
its  death-like  stillness,  broken  only  by  the  stifled  sobs 
that  could  not  be  suppressed — the  multitudes  who 
thronged  all  the  surrounding  streets — the  long  pro¬ 
cession — the  crowded  cemetery — the  tears  which  con¬ 
secrated  the  last  resting  place  of  one  so  loved.  Hal¬ 
lowed  spot !  The  footsteps  of  undying  affection  will 
often  revisit  it.  Our  hearts  will  often  make  their 
pilgrimages  there.  Softly  may  the  sunlight  sleep 
upon  it ;  and  fresh  and  green  be  the  turf  that  covers  it. 

And  now,  farewell !  Brother,  farewell !  With 
trembling  hands  we  have  woven  this  garland  for  thy 
grave — would  it  were  worthier.  We  bless  God  that 
we  were  permitted  to  know  thee.  We  bless  God 
that  we  were  worthy  to  love  thee.  Very  pleasant 
hast  thou  been  unto  us,  my  brother  !  And  now  that 
thou  art  gone  from  us  we  will  cherish  all  that  thou 
hast  left  to  earth.  We  will  watch  over  thy  grave. 
We  will  keep  thy  memory  fresh  and  fragrant  in  our 
midst.  We  will  embalm  thy  name  in  our  heart  of 
hearts.  We  will  try  to  follow  thee,  brother!  even  as 
thou  didst  follow  Christ.  Just  translated  from  among 
us ;  even  yet  we  are  standing  and  gazing  after  the 
chariots  of  fire  which  conveyed  thee  away.  0 !  that 
thy  mantle  may  fall  upon  us  ! 

Why  linger  any  longer  about  his  grave.  “He  is 
not  here,  he  is  risen.” 


‘•Hark !  the  golden  harps  are  ringing 
Sounds  unearthly  greet  his  ear  : 

Millions  now  in  Heaven  singing, 

Greet  his  joyful  entrance  there.” 

He  was  wise  to  win  souls  unto  Christ.,  and  he 
shines  to-day  as  the  brightness  of  the  upper  firmament ! 
“He  turned  many  to  righteousness,”  and  he  will 
shine  “as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.”  The  crown  he 
wears  to  day  is  all  sparkling — gemmed  with  immortal 
brilliants — the  souls  he  won  to  Jesus.  The  mansion 
he  inhabits  to-day  is  very  near  to  the  throne ;  many 
were  waiting  to  meet  and  rejoice  with  him  there,  and 
many  more  will  yet  go  up  to  join  them,  and  a  great 
multitude  will  gather  around  him  over  whom  he  will 
rejoice  forever  as  “his  crown  and  his  joy,”  and  “his 
works  will  still  follow  him.” 

A  word  I  must  say  in  parting,  to  the  Officers  and 
Members  of  the  Maryland  Tract  Society.  A  dear 
personal  friend,  a  brother  beloved — an  honored  Presi¬ 
dent,  “our  stay  and  our  staff,”  has  been  taken  from 
us  in  the  noon  of  manhood,  and  in  the  very  midst  of 
his  usefulness.  We  shall  never  see  his  face  more — 
never  again  meet  him  in  the  Committee-room.  But  a 
voice  comes  from  his  grave  to  us  saying,  “Be  ye  also 
ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not  the  Son  of 
man  cometh.  Work  while  it  is  day,  for  the  night 
cometh  when  no  man  can  work.”  0!  how  rapidly 
that  night  is  hastening  on,  and  how  soon  it  will  close 
around  us.  How  many  of  those  who  started  out  on 


life’s  journey  with  us — the  friends  and  companions  of 
other  days — have  fallen  at  our  side,  and  are  sleeping 
to-day  in  some  quiet  country  church-yard,  or  in  our 
own  crowded  cemeteries.  Already  we  begin  to  feel 
ourselves  “strangers  in  the  earth.”  And  what  we 
have  to  do  for  our  own  souls,  for  the  souls  of-  others, 
for  that  precious  Saviour  who  redeemed  us  with  his 
own  blood,  must  be  done  quickly. 

Here,  in  this  solemn  hour,  and  as  over  the  remains 
of  our  dear  departed  friend  and  brother,  let  us  conse¬ 
crate  ourselves  afresh  to  that  great  cause  whose  pre¬ 
cious  interests  are  entrusted  to  our  guardianship.  We 
bless  God,  that  here,  though  bearing  many  a  name 
other  than  that  new  name  we  shall  all  be  known  by 
in  Heaven,  we  see  eye  to  eye,  and  are  joined  hand  to 
hand,  “laborers  together”  in  building  up  our  Master’s 
Kingdom.  Let  us  ever  cherish  that  spirit  of  brotherly 
kindness,  which  so  eminently  characterised  our  la¬ 
mented  President,  and  which  glows  in  our  hearts  to¬ 
day  .  Let  us  not  be  weary  in  well  doing.  Let  us 
scatter  abroad  still  more  widely  the  leaves  of  the  tree 
of  life — the  printed  words  of  God — till  they  bring  heal¬ 
ing  to  all  the  dwellings  of  our  City  and  State.  And 
when  the  Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  we  tao  “shall 
receive  from  him  a  Crown  of  Life.” 


APPENDIX. 


Charged  by  the  Managers  with  the  duty  of  having  the  fore¬ 
going  Sermon  issued  from  the  press,  I  have  taken  the  liberty 
of  adding  (he  subjoined  documents  in  an  Appendix  to  the 
Second  Edition,  without  the  trouble  of  convening  the  Board 
to  ask  its  sanction.  Of  the  acceptableness  of  these  documents 
to  those  with  whom  the  memory  of  Dr.  Johns  is  so  precious, 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  as  no  responsibility  is  devolved  upon 
any  one  but  myself,  I  am  confident  of  the  approbation  of  the 
Managers. 


Tract  House,  Fayette  street, 
June  15,  1859. 


Cor.  Secr'y. 


Extract  from  the  forthcoming  Annual  Report  of  the  American 
Tract  Society,  of  which  Dr.  Johns  had  been  an  exceedingly 
influential  Corporate  Director  for  many  years,  and  by  whom 
it  was  most  nobly  represented  on  the  platform  of  the  London 
Tract  Society,  at  its  anniversary  in  1852. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke  Johns,  1).  D.,  of  Baltimore, 
who  for  eight  years  has  been  a  Director  of  this  Society,  and 
for  fifteen  years  President  of  the  Maryland  Branch,  departed 
this  life  April  22,  1859,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six. 

Dr.  Johns  early  imbibed  the  friendship  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Milnor,  was  present  with  him  at  the  organization  of  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Tract  Society,  and  continued  its  cordial  active  friend  and 
supporter  not  only  during  the  twenty  years  that  Milnor  lived, 
but  through  thirty-four  years  till  they  were  called  to  meet  be¬ 
fore  the  throne  above.  None  present  at  the  Society’s  last  an¬ 
niversary  will  fail  to  remember  the  Christian  kindness  and 
courtesy  with  which  he  addressed  that  meeting. 


“It  was  my  privilege,”  he  said,  “to  be  at  the  meeting  in 
1825,  when  the  Society  was  organized,  and  I  never  shall  forget 
the  tone,  sentiment,  and  emotion  which  pervaded  that  whole 
assembly.  If  there  ever  was  an  occasion  when  the  Spirit  of 
God,  of  love,  of  concord,  and  a  sound  mind  was  poured  out, 
it  was  upon  that  occasion.  I  recollect  seeing  venerated  men 
bathed  in  tears,  and  weeping  like  children  in  sympathy,  heart 
with  heart,  as  the  plans  and  prospects  of  this  institution  one 
after  another  were  presented.  And,  Mr.  President,  from  that 
day  to  this,  I  have  felt  it  a  privilege  and  duty,  in  the  pulpit  or 
upon  the  platform,  and  upon  every  occasion  in  which  Provi¬ 
dence  afforded  me  an  opportunity,  to  advocate  the  claims  of 
this  Society,  as  one  of  the  great  movements  in  the  Protestant 
cause,  and  I  have  looked  upon  it  as  spreading  an  influence  over 
the  general  literature  of  our  country,  with  which  no  other 
agency  could  begin  to  compare.  Hence  I  most  cordially  en¬ 
dorse  the  sentiments  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  that  if  this  Society 
were  crippled  in  any  way  in  its  operations,  it  would  be  a  day 
of  darkness  to  our  common  Christianity,  a  day  of  rejoicing  to 
infidelity  and  Romanism  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other.” 

The  Board  of  the  Maryland  Branch  Tract  Society,  at  a  meet¬ 
ing  the  day  after  Dr.  Johns’  death,  unanimously 

“ Resolved ,  That  this  Board  have  heard  with  feelings  of 
deepest  sadness  of  the  death  of  their  highly  esteemed  and  much 
loved  President,  Rev.  H.  V.  D.  Johns,  I).  D. 

“ Resolved ,  That  in  this  solemn  and  painful  bereavement, 
which  an  all-wise  Providence  has  visited  upon  us,  we  would 
5  recognize  the  hand  of  our  heavenly  Father,  would  bow  with 
meek  and  humble  submission  to  his  will,  and  acknowledge  that 
he  ‘doeth  all  things  well.’  The  Board  desire  to  record  their 
high  estimate  of  the  character  and  usefulness  of  their  much 
loved  associate.  As  their  President,  he  has  rendered  the  So¬ 
ciety  most  valuable  service ;  his  sound  judgment,  active  efforts, 
his  extensive  influence,  and  above  all,  his  earnest  piety,  warm¬ 
hearted  Christian  love  and  fervent  philanthropy,  all  combined, 
made  him  most  uselul  to  our  cause,  and  attached  him  to  everv 
member  ol  this  Board  with  almost  the  affection  of  a  brother. 
!  hey  would  bear  testimony  to  his  enlarged  and  liberal  views, 


to  bis  singleness  of  purpose  in  promoting  the  cause  of  Christ— 
the  highest  welfare  of  his  fellow-men,  uninfluenced  by  personal 
or  sectarian  interests,  seeking  only  to  win  souls  to  salvation, 
and  to  promote  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer’s  name.  His  eleva¬ 
ted  Christian  character  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  his  kind, 
sympathizing  spirit,  gentleness  of  manner,  and  mildness  of 
disposition,  were  characteristics  that  rendered  him  influential 
as  a  man  of  God,  valuable  as  a  citizen,  and  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  him.  We  feel  that  the  church  of  Christ  has  lost  a  faith¬ 
ful  minister,  our  community  a  most  valuable  citizen,  our  So¬ 
ciety  and  influential  and  devoted  friend  and  President,  and 
ourselves  as  individuals  an  attached  friend.” 

At  this  meeting  of  the  Board  of  the  Maryland  Branch,  the 
Rev.  J.  W.  M.  Williams,  of  the  Baptist  church,  Chairman  of 
their  Executive  Committee,  said  : 

“I  should  do  violence  to  my  feelings  if  I  did  not  say  some¬ 
thing  before  taking  the  vote  on  these  resolutions.  There  is  no 
man  living  I  love  more,  in  a  religious  sense,  than  I  loved  Dr. 
Johns.  I  said  this  while  he  was  living;  I  say  it  now  he  is 
gone.  We  have  labored  together  in  this  Society  for  the  last 
eight  years.  My  acquaintance  with  him  has  been  of  the  most 
pleasant  and  profitable  character.  I  scarcely  ever  met  him 
but  he  uttered  some  word  that  made  me  love  him  more,  and 
cheered  me  on  in  my  work  of  preaching  the  gospel. 

“In  former  years,  while  we  as  a  Society  were  struggling 
under  difficulties,  he  was  our  guiding  spirit,  and  his  counsels 
were  always  wise  and  safe.  We  shall  miss  him  greatly.  His 
death  comes  near  to  me  ;  I  feel  it  deeply.  He  being  Chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Managers  and  I  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
we  have  alternated  in  presiding  over  the  deliberations  of  this 
Society.  As  I  stand  here  this  afternoon  in  the  place  he  filled 
with  so  much  pleasure  to  us  all  for  fifteen  years,  I  feel  as  if  a 
fellow-soldier  had  been  shot  down  at  my  side,  and  I  had  stepped 
up  to  fill  his  place,  and  perhaps  the  next  ball  may  reach  iny 
heart.  Let  us  all  lay  his  death  to  heart,  and  hear  our  common 
Master  saying  to  us,  ‘Work  while  it  is  called  to-day.’  ‘Be  ye 
also  ready.’  ” 


The  Rev.  S.  CIuiteau,  Secretary  of  the  Maryland  Branch, 
said  on  the  same  occasion  : 

“There  is  not  a  member  of  this  Board,  I  might  almost  say 
there  is  not  a  religious  man  in  Baltimore,  who  has  not  heard 
with  feelings  of  deepest  sadness  that  the  Rev.  H.  Y.  D.  Johns, 
so  long  the  beloved  President  of  this  Society,  is  numbered 
with  the  dead.  Yesterday  morning,  at  about  six  o’clock,  he 
passed  awav  from  earth.  His  last  words  were,  as  if  called  to, 
‘Yes,  Jesus,  I  come,  I  come  to  thee.’ 

“Dr.  Johns  has  presided  over  this  Society  during  the  whole 
of  its  existence.  It  is  now  about  fifteen  years  since  the  friends 
of  this  branch  of  Christian  effort  judged  best  to  reorganize 
‘The  Baltimore  Tract  Society,’  one  of  the  oldest  associations 
of  the  kind  in  the  country,  to  enlarge  the  sphere  of  its  action, 
and  assume  the  name  it  now  bears.  On  that  occasion  it  was 
made  my  duty  to  call  on  Dr.  Johns,  and  ascertain  if  he  was 
willing  to  become  our  President.  His  reply  was  characteristic  : 
‘1  would  advise  you  to  get  a  man  better  suited  for  the  place; 
but  if  my  services  are  desired,  they  shall  be  cheerfully  ren¬ 
dered.’  You  will  all  bear  witness  how  fully  he  has  redeemed 
his  pledge.  From  that  day  to  this  day  of  mourning,  it  has 
been  both  my  duty  and  my  happiness  often  to  call  and  confer 
with  him  as  to  what  it  was  wise  and  best  to  do.  I  have  never 
found  him  so  busy  or  so  fatigued  that  he  was  not  ready  to 
listen  to  my  statements.  Nor  was  it  a  mere  passing  considera¬ 
tion  that  he  gave  to  these  interests,  but  an  earnestness  of 
thought  such  as  men  are  wont  to  bestow  upon  their  personal 
concerns.  I  have  never  conversed  with  a  man  who  had  a 
higher  appreciation  of  this  department  of  benevolence. 

“He  loved  the  Society  as  an  efficient  agency  for  proclaiming 
to  men  of  all  grades  their  ruin  and  their  remedy.  I  speak 
what  I  know  when  I  say  that  he  specially  delighted  in  the  dec¬ 
laration  of  the  late  Dr.  Alexander,  of  Princeton,  a  man  whom 
he  greatly  revered,  in  his  letter  resigning  his  place  on  the  Pub¬ 
lishing  Committee,  and  quoted  by  Bishop  Mcllvaine  in  his 
speech  at  the  last  annual  meeting  :  ‘I  doubt  whether  there  is 
in  the  world  at  this  time  an  institution,  the  Christian  ministry 
excepted,  more  efficiently  employed  in  carrying  the  gospel  to 
all  classes  of  society.’ 


“Ho  loved  the  Society  also,  peculiarly  loved  it,  because  it 
tended  to  promote  the  unity  of  the  church.  How  he  loved  to 
talk  of  the  meeting;  when  the  Parent  Society  was  organized, 
and  when  ‘Milnor,  Summerfield,  and  others/  to  use  his  often 
repeated  words,  ‘manifested  a  spirit  so  much  like  heaven,  that 
the  recollection  of  it  is  refreshing.’ 

‘•You  all  remember  how  we  were  impressed  with  his  remarks 
at  our  Colporter  convention  last  autumn.  We  shall  not  for¬ 
get  that  memorable  declaration : 

“1  love  these  associations,  assemblages  such  as  these,  com¬ 
posed  of  members  of  various  branches  of  the  church.  They 
serve  to  counteract  that  sectarian  zeal  to  which  we  are  so 
prone — a  spirit  of  which  I  am  so  afraid  that  for  years  I  have 
made  it  a  habit  not  to  pass  a  place  of  worship  of  another  de¬ 
nomination  without  lifting  up  a  silent  prayer  that  God  would 
bless  that  people.’ 

“Happy  spirit !  How  congenial  to  that  world  where  he  now 
is,  where  names  are  lost,  and  Christ  is  all  and  in  all  1” 


Extract  from  the  Records  of  the  Maryland  Bible  Society. 

“At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Ma¬ 
ryland  State  Bible  Society,  held  on  the  23d  instant,  the  follow¬ 
ing  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

“  Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God,  by  the  dispensation 
of  His  providence,  to  remove  from  this  transitory  life  Rev. 
Henry  V.  D.  Johns,  D.  D.,  and  whereas  the  deceased  was  for 
a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the  Maryland  State  Bible  So¬ 
ciety,  therefore, 

“ Resolved, ,  By  the  Managers  of  the  Maryland  State  Bible 
Society,  in  special  meeting  assembled,  that  we  entertain  and 
herebv  express  our  high  appreciation  of  the  Christian  meek¬ 
ness,  devotion,  usefulness,  and  truly  Catholic  spirit  of  Rev. 
Henry  V.  D.  Johns,  D.  D.,  and  that  our  associations  with  him, 
in  the  circulation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  greatly  endear  him 
to  us,  as  an  able,  intelligent  and  constant  supporter  of  the 

Bible  cause. 


“ Resolved ,  That  we  sincerely  sympathise  with  the  bereaved 
family  of  the  late  Rev.  11.  V.  D.  Johns,  D.  D.,  and  also  with 
his  afflicted  parishioners,  to  whom  he  was  a  faithful  Minister  of 
the  Lord  Jesus;  and  that  we  commend  them  to  the  Chief 
Shepherd,  for  the  consolation  and  support  of  Divine  grace. 

“Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  above  proceedings  be  fur¬ 
nished  to  the  family  of  the  late  Rev.  Henry  V.  D.  Johns,  D. 
D.,  to  the  Vestry  of  Emanuel  Church,  and  that  they  also  be 
published  in  the  newspapers  of  this  city.” 

Signed  by  order  of  the  Board, 

0.  H.  TIFFANY, 
Recording  Sec’y. 


Extract  from  the  Records  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  As¬ 
sociation. 

Rooms  ok  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  of  Balto.,  / 

Saturday  Evening  April  23,  1859.  $ 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers,  the  following 
resolution  was  unanimously  adopted,  as  expressive  of  the  sense 
of  that  body  : 

Resolved,  “That  in  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke 
Johns,  D.  D.,  the  Y'oung  Men’s  Christian  Association  of  Balti¬ 
more,  hits  sustained  a  loss  so  great,  that  its  Board  of  Managers 
cannot  withhold  expressions  of  its  grief. 

“The  Board  is  deeply  sensible  that  it  has  been  deprived  of  a 
friend,  whose  mature  judgment,  wise  counsel,  and  godly  ex¬ 
ample  greatly  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  its  truest  in¬ 
terests,  and  of  one  whose  name  was  a  Rower  of  strength,’  in 
securing  the  Christian  fellowship,  which  unites  the  various  de¬ 
nominations  of  this  city. 

“The  Board  desires  to  mingle  its  heartfelt  sympathy  with  his 
family,  which  has  been  so  sorely  bereaved,  and  earnestly  prays 
that  the  ‘God  of  the  fatherless  and  the  widow’  mav  abundantlv 

J  * 

administer  to  them  the  peace  and  the  consolation  of  His  Holy 
Spirit. 

“To  his  afflicted  congregation  also,  would  the  Board  extend 
its  condolence,  and  devoutly  pray  that  God  in  his  infinite 
mercy,  may  send  ‘a  man  after  his  own  heart,’  who  will  ‘know 


37 


9 


nothing  but  Christ  and  Him  crucified/  to  guide  His  people  in 
the  way  of  life  everlasting.” 

J.  DEAN  SMITH,  President. 
John  R.  Kelso,  Jr.,  Pec.  Sec’y. 


TRACT  HOUSE,  Fayette  Street,  June  14,  1859. 

To  the  Yestry  of  Emanuel  Church  : 

Gentlemen  : — A  second  edition  of  Dr.  Smith’s  Sermon  Commemorative  of  the 
Life  and  Character  of  your  late  Rector,  the  lamented  Rev.  H.  Y.  D;  John,  D.D.,  is 
called  for.  As  almost  every  item  of  authentic  information,  and  every  utterance  of  af¬ 
fection  relative  to  this  beloved  man  seems  to  be  craved  by  the  Christian  public,  I  have 
thought  the  pamphlet  would  be  rendered  more  valuable  as  a  memorial  of  Dr.  Johns 
by  the  insertion,  in  an  Appendix,  of  a  few  other  documents  called  forth  by  his  death. 
Among  others,  your  Minutes  adopted  at  the  announcement  of  his  decease,  seems  to 
me  eminently  appropriate.  For  this  purpose  I  solicit  a  copy  from  your  records- 
With  high  esteem  and  the  sincerest  sympathy,  I  am,  gentlemen. 

Very  truly,  yours, 

S.  GUITEAU, 

Cor.  Sec.  Maryland  Tract  Society. 

To  Members  of  Vestry,  care  of 
H.  A.  Thompson,  Esq.,  Register. 


Baltimore,  June  15,  1859- 

To  the  Rev.  Mr.  S.  Quiteau, 

Cor.  See.  Maryland  Tract  Society  : 

Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  : — Your  letter  of  14th  Inst,  to  the  Vestry  of  Emanuel  Church 
has  been  received,  and  I  have  been  desired  to  hand  you  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of 
tlio  Vestry  consequent  upon  the  death  of  our  lato  much  beloved  and  revered  rector, 
the  Rev.  Henry  V.  D.  Johns,  D.D.,  which  you  will  receive  with  this  note. 

With  much  respect,  yours,  very  truly, 

II.  A.  THOMPSON,  Register. 


Emanuel  Church  Yestry  Room,  > 
Baltimore ,  22 d  April ,  9  o’clock ,  A.  J\I.  y 

The  Yestry  met.  Present :  The  Rev.  Charles  R.  Howard, 
Assistant  Minister.  Messrs.  James  Carroll,  Henry  A.  Thomp¬ 
son,  Henry  M.  Bash,  Leonard  Mackall,  Haslett  McKim,  Wil¬ 
liam  Bose,  Robert  Dorsey  of  Ed.,  and  James  H.  Millikin. 

Prayers  were  oflered  by  the  Assistant  Minister. 

The  Assistant  Minister  communicated  to  the  vestry  the  sad 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  cur  beloved  rector,  the  Rev. 

4 


38 


Henry  Van  Dyke  Johns,  D.  D.  He  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  at  six 
o’clock,  A.  M.,  this  22d  day  of  April,  1859. 

Whereupon,  it  was 

Resolved ,  That  a  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Carroll, 
Thompson  and  Bash,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  appointed,  to 
convey  the  heartfelt  condolence  of  this  afflicted  vestry  to  his 
afflicted  family:  to  claim  the  mournful  privilege  of  sympathiz¬ 
ing  with  their  sorrows,  and  affectionately  to  ask  them  to  unite 
with  us  in  seeking  consolation  under  their  and  our  sad  bereave¬ 
ment,  in  the  full  assurance  that  our  loss  is  his  everlasting 
gain. 

Resolved,  That  the  committee  be  instructed  to  confer  with 
the  family  on  the  order  of  the  funeral  and  to  tender  the  ser¬ 
vices  of  the  vestry  in  any  and  every  way  in  which  they  will 
consent  to  receive  the  same. 

Resolved,  That  the  following  address  to  the  congregation  be 
adopted. 

From  the  Vestry  to  the  Congregation  of  Emanuel 

Church,  Baltimore. 

It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  take  our  beloved  Rector 
home.  He  died  as  he  had  lived,  trusting  in  God  his  Saviour, 
and  praying  for  us  all. 

The  earthly  ties  which  bound  him  and  this  congregation 
together  are  severed :  he  has  gone  to  his  eternal  rest,  and  we 
are  left  to  mourn  our  sad  bereavement. 

In  our  deep  distress  it  becomes  us  to  bow  our  heads  in  the 
dust,  and  to  say,  “Even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good  in 
thy  sight.” 

But  there  are  ties  which  death  cannot  sever.  Henry  Johns 
is  embalmed  in  our  hearts. 

The  man,  the  Christian,  the  Minister  of  the  Word  and  Sa¬ 
craments  lives  in  our  tenderest  affections.  And  although  we 
shall  no  more  receive  at  his  hallowed  hands  the  memorials  of  a 
Saviour’s  dying  love,  no  longer  look  upon  his  beaming  counte¬ 
nance,  and  hear  the  silvery  tones  of  his  voice,  directing  us  to 
Christ,  as  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life,  we  shall  retain  a 
constant  preacher  of  the  blessed  gospel  in  the  Godly  example 
of  his  holy  life  and  conversation. 


39 


Our  dear  brother  is  not  dead.  He  is  still  a  living  member  of 
the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  the  Communion  of  Saints,  which  is 
the  blessed  company  of  all  faithful  people. 

“Angels  and  living  saints  and  dead 
But  one  communion  make, 

All  join  in  Christ  their  vital  head, 

And  of  his  love  partake.” 

He  has  only  left  the  Church  militant  to  take  the  place  pre¬ 
pared  for  him  in  the  Church  triumphant.  And  it  is  our  blessed 
privilege  to  know  and  feel  that  we  may  receive  health  and  sal¬ 
vation  only  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Let  us,  then,  take  our  place  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  in  the 
assured  hope  and  trust  that  there  is  a  place  prepared  for  us, 
even  for  us,  unworthy  as  we  are,  if  we  also  be  found  faithful  to 
the  end  ;  and  that  we  shall  again  unite  with  him  in  ascribing 
glory  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost, 
not  in  an  earthly  sanctuary,  but  before  the  throne  of  God  and 
the  Lamb. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  proceedings  be  forwarded  to 
the  family  of  our  late  Rector,  and  that  they  be  read  to  the  con¬ 
gregation  on  the  first  occasion  of  public  service. 

Eight  o'clock,  P.  m. 

The  Vestry  met  by  adjournment. 

Present  all  the  members. 

Prayers  were  offered  by  the  assistant  minister. 

The  committee  appointed  this  morning  reported,  That  they 
have  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Henry  Johns,  to  whom  they 
delivered  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  this  morning’s  session, 
which  had  been  previously  read  to  the  congregation  at  morn¬ 
ing  prayer — this  day  being  good  Friday.  They  learned  from 
him  that  the  family  had  directed  an  advertisement  in  the  pub¬ 
lic  papers  announcing  the  death  of  Dr.  Johns,  and  inviting  his 
friends  to  attend  the  funeral  at  Emanuel  Church,  on  Sunday, 
at  3  o’clock,  p.  m.  That  the  family  desired  as  much  privacy  as 
was  practicable,  aud  wished  that  the  assemblage  at  his  late 
residence  should  be  confined  to  his  immediate  relatives.  They 
desired  that  the  members  of  the  vestry  should  act  as  pall 


40 


bearers,  and  should  attend  at  his  house  at  half  past  two  o’clock, 
for  the  purpose  of  accompanying  his  remains  to  the  church, 
and  to  the  grave.  They  desired  to  have  the  usual  funeral  ser¬ 
vices,  without  a  sermon,  and  wished  the  services  to  be  con¬ 
ducted  entirely  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howard. 

These  directions,  given  at  the  express  wish  of  our  late  Rector, 
should  be  a  law  to  the  Yestry. 

Their  duties  will  then  be  confined  to  an  endeavor  to  accom¬ 
modate  in  the  best  way  they  can,  those  who  attend  at  the 
church. 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  That  the  report  be  accepted,  and  the  Yestry  cheer¬ 
fully  acquiesce  in  the  wishes  of  the  family,  that  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Howard  perform  the  funeral  services,  and  that  they  attend  at 
the  residence  as  pall  bearers  at  the  hour  designated. 

Resolved,  That  the  Yestry  wear  crape  on  the  left  arm,  and 
that  the  church  be  put  in  mourning  for  the  space  of  one  month. 

Resolved,  That  the  Register  be,  and  he  is  hereby  authorized 
to  give  such  directions  for  the  carriages,  Ac.,  as  may  be  ne¬ 
cessary. 


Baltimore,  25th  April,  1859. 

The  Vestry  met. 

Present  all  the  members. 

Prayers  were  offered  by  the  Assistant  Minister. 

The  committee  reported,  That  having  learned  from  Mr. 
Howard  that  it  was  the  desire  of  the  family  to  make  some 
change  in  the  order  of  the  funeral  of  our  late  Rector,  have 
thought  proper  to  address  to  him  the  following  letter  : 

Baltimore,  24th  April,  1859. 

Rev.  a>iD  Dear  Sir: — The  Yestry  had  matured  a  plan  for 
the  order  of  the  funeral  of  our  beloved  Rector,  in  strict  com¬ 
pliance  with  the  expressed  wishes  of  his  family.  That  plan 
contemplated  your  performance  of  all  the  funeral  services. 

We  have  learned  this  morning  that  the  family  desire  the  as¬ 
sociation  with  you  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hoff  in  the  performance  of 
those  services. 


41 


It  is  not  our  province  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  your  min¬ 
isterial  functions.  But  we  desire  to  say  to  you,  that,  as  at  first, 
so  now,  the  wish  of  the  family  is  a  law  to  us;  and  that  you 
have  our  sanction  for  any  alterations  they  may  desire  to  make. 

Very  respectfully  and  affectionately  yours, 

James  Carroll, 

IB.  A.  Thompson, 

H.  M.  Bash, 

Committee  of  the  Vestry. 

Rev.  Charles  R.  Howard, 

Ass’t  Minister  Emanuel  Churchy  Baltimore. 

The  committee  further  reported,  that  at  half  past  two  o’clock 
on  the  24th  instant,  being  Easter  Sunday,  the  Vestry  attended 
at  the  residence  of  our  late  Rector,  where  they  received  his 
sacred  remains  and  accompanied  them  to  the  church.  They 
found  the  church  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity. 

We  bore  the  coffin  through  a  wave  of  suppressed  sobs,  testi¬ 
fying  the  heartfelt  love  and  veneration  of  the  congregation, 
tempered  by  a  profound  respect  for  the  place  and  the  occasion. 

We  deposited  it  in  front  of  the  chancel,  when  two  of  our 
members  removed  the  Bible  and  Prayer  book  from  the  desk, 
and  placed  them  directly  over  that  heart  in  which  they  had 
been  so  long  enshrined. 

After  the  services,  which  were  performed  by  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Howard  and  Hoff,  all  that  was  mortal  of  Henry  Johns  was  for 
the  last  time  taken  from  that  church  he  so  fondly  loved,  and 
laid  in  the  grave,  there  to  await  the  Resurrection.  We  close 
as  wre  began — “Even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy 
sight.” 

On  motion  the  report  was  adopted. 

[Certified  extract  from  the  records  of  the  Vestry  of  Eman¬ 
uel  Church,  Baltimore.] 

Henry  A.  Thompson,  Register. 


4* 


4:2 


A  Letter  from  the  Vestry  of  St.  Paul’s  Church,  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  to  the  Vestry  of  Emanuel  Church,  in  this  city. 

[Copy.] 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Vestry  of  St.  Paul’s  Church,  Cincinnati, 
held  on  the  second  Monday  after  Easter,  1859,  it  was,  on  motion, 

Resolved,  That  the  Rector,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Greenleaf,  and 
Messrs.  D.  K.  Cady  and  S.  VV.  Pomeroy,  be  a  Committee  to 
take  suitable  notice  of  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Henry  V.  D. 
Johns,  D.  D.,  late  Rector  of  Emanuel  Church,  Baltimore, 
and  for  several  years  Rector  of  St.  Paul’s,  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  to  communicate  the  same  to  the  family  and  parish  of  the 
deceased. 

In  the  performance  of  this  duty,  the  Committee  can  only  re¬ 
peat  the  tribute  which  has  elsewhere  been  spontaneously  offered 
to  the  purity  of  character,  the  affectionate  sympathy,  and 
untiring  zeal  in  all  good  works,  of  this  departed  minister  of 
Christ,  and  most  respectfully  and  kindly  offer  to  his  bereaved 
family  the  assurance  of  our  sympathy  in  their  sorrow,  and  to 
the  parish  from  which  he  has  been  removed,  our  sincere  con¬ 
dolence  on  this  afflictive  dispensation  of  God’s  providence. 

P.  H.  Greenleaf, 

D.  K.  Cady, 

S.  W.  Pomeroy, 

Committee. 


A  very  admirable  writer  in  the  Episcopal  Recorder  of  May 
7th,  referring  to  conversations  with  Dr.  Johns,  when  topics 
were  discussed  likely  to  induce  censorious  remarks,  says  : 

“I  felt  as  if  I  stood  in  the  presence  of  one  who  was  so  far 
receding  from  earth  as  to  lose  sight,  in  the  atmosphere  of 
love  which  encircled  him,  of  all  but  those  grand  and  dear  rela¬ 
tions  which  bind  Christians  to  each  other  as  the  common  ser¬ 
vants  of  a  crucified  Lord.” 

He  concludes  his  notice  as  follows: 

“The  last  time  I  heard  Dr.  Johns  preach  was  on  Thanksgiv¬ 
ing  day  last.  He  had  just  risen  from  an  attack  of  sickness. 
That  this  sickness  had  brought  him,  not  merely  very  near  to 


! 


death,  but  very  near  to  heaven,  was  impressed  upon  me  not 
merely  by  the  appearance  of  his  body,  but  Jby  the  working  of 
his  mind.  There  was  an  etherealness  in  the  way  in  which  his 
subject  was  treated,  which  spoke  of  one  whose  thoughts  were 
now  much  more  conversant  with  things  spiritual  than  with 
things  temporal.  The  topic  was  of  a  thanksgiving  character, 
but  the  thanksgiving  was  one  for  eternity  rather  than  earth. 
Three  months  afterwards,  when  I  again  met  him,  and  spent 
some  time  with  him  this  impression  grew  deeper.  Three 
months  more  passed,  and  death  stood  at  the  very  door  of  his 
mortal  tenement,  announcing,  in  unmistakeable  language,  his 
approach.  But  the  messenger  came  to  him  not  by  surprise. 
That  calm  preparation  which  had  been  proceeding  so  long 
and  so  gradually  was  not  ruffled  by  the  knowledge  that  in  a 
very  short  time  probation  was  to  end.  And  then,  in  three 
weeks  more,  that  probation  did  end  in  peace. 

‘  ‘Dr.  Johns’  death  is  the  greater  loss  to  the  Church,  from  the 
fact  that  his  mature  and  gentle  wisdom,  and  his  wide  charity, 
now  beginning  to  be  the  more  fully  understood,  are  qualities 
which  our  present  wants  peculiarly  require.  ‘God  buries  his 
workmen,’  was  an  epitaph  prepared  by  John  Wesley  for  his 
brother  Charles,  ‘that  he  may  carry  on  his  work.’  Let  this  be 
our  comfort,  and  let  us  unite  in  the  prayer  that  to  fill  the  place 
of  him  who  has  been  taken,  others  may  be  called  to  do  the 
work  of  the  Lord  with  increased  energy  and  meekness.” 


From  the  Baltimore  American  of  22d  April. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke  Johns,  D.  D.,  Rector  of  Eman¬ 
uel  Church,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  denomination,  died 
this  morning,  a  few  minutes  after  six  o’clock,  at  the  family 
residence,  corner  of  Bolton  and  Lanvale  streets.  For  a  week 
previous  the  press  of  the  city  had  announced  the  fact  that  the 
Doctor  was  extremely  ill,  and  daily  thereafter  continued  to  re¬ 
port  the  progress  of  the  disease.  A  year  ago,  the  deceased  ex¬ 
perienced  a  similar  attack,  and  for  several  days  was  prostrate, 
but  under  judicious  medical  treatment  recovered,  and  resumed 
the  active  discharge  of  his  ministerial  duties.  Nearly  two 


44 


months  since,  however,  he  experienced  symptoms  of  the  same 
indisposition,  but  continued  his  clerical  labors  until  the  middle 
of  March,  at  which  time,  with  the  advice  of  the  vestry  of  the 
Church,  and  the  members  of  his  own  family,  he  was  con¬ 
strained  to  resign  his  work  to  the  assistant  of  the  parish,  Rev. 
Charles  Howard,  and  submit  to  medical  treatment. 

Soon  after,  the  family  physician,  Dr.  John  Buckler,  was 
called  in,  and  at  once  pronouncing  his  disease  of  a  dangerous 
character,  treated  it  with  unusual  skill  and  watchfulness.  The 
frequent  changes  in  the  condition  of  the  patient,  sometimes  en¬ 
abling  him  to  leave  his  bed  and  converse  freely  with  the  assist¬ 
ant  rector,  his  family,  and  the  vestry  of  the  Church,  than 
whom  all  others  were  positively  forbidden  to  see  him,  seemed 
to  justify  anticipations  of  his  final  recovery,  but  it  was  other¬ 
wise  decreed.  On  last  Monday,  the  Right  Rev.  John  Johns 
was  summoned  from  the  active  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the 
Episcopate  of  the  Diocese  of  Virginia,  and  soon  appearing  at 
the  bedside  of  his  brother,  never  left  it  until  the  vital  spark 
had  fled. 


Extract  from  the  recent  Address  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Whit- 

tingham,  “To  the  Seventv-sixth  Annual  Convention  of  the 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  Maryland.” 

“We  are  again  warned  to  diligence  and  faithfulness  in  our 
work  by  the  presence  of  death  among  us  since  our  last  assem¬ 
blage.  A  name  that  had  stood,  with  the  exception  of  a  compar¬ 
atively  brief  interval,  for  upwards  of  thirty  years  upon  the  roll 
of  the  Clergy  of  the  Diocese  will  appear  there  no  more.  Pre¬ 
maturely,  as  it  might  seem  to  man,  certainly  in  the  very  height 
of  activity  and  usefulness,  the  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke  Johns, 
the  beloved  and  influential  Rector  of  Emanuel  Church  in  this 
city,  has  been  taken  from  his  family,  his  ardently  devoted 
flock,  and  a  whole  mourning  city.  His  extensive  connexions 
and  long  residence  in  the  diocese  had  made  him  one  of  the  most 
generally  known  of  all  our  band.  His  winning  manners  and 
earnest  zeal  for  the  service  of  his  Master,  secured  the  respect 
of  all,  the  love  and  admiration  of  such  as  were  more  inti¬ 
mately  associated  in  his  work.  Probably  none  among  us,  when 


45 


called  to  rest,  would  be  missed  and  mourned  by  so  many.  Long 
years  must  pass  before  the  void  which  his  departure  makes  in 
the  ministry  of  Baltimore  can  be  so  supplied  as  to  appease  the 
sense  of  grievous  loss,  now  tilling  so  many  hearts  with  anguish. 
Eulogy  of  such  a  man  would  be  out  of  place,  on  this  occasion. 
To  you,  the  mere  mention  of  the  deceased  is  his  ample  praise.” 


The  following  beautiful  tribute  from  the  distinguished  Pastor 
of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York,  will  be 
read  with  great  pleasure. 

From  the  Presbyterian. 

Messrs.  Editors. — Though  very  much  unfitted  for  literary 
work  by  a  low  state  of  health,  I  cannot  refrain  from  sending 
you  a  few  paragraphs  concerning  my  honored  and  beloved 
friend,  the  late  Henry  Van  Dyke  Johns,  D.  D.  That  he  be¬ 
longed  to  a  different  branch  of  Christ’s  Church  from  that  in 
which  I  serve,  has  always  added  zest  to  our  friendship  and  fra¬ 
ternity.  So  many  years  have  elapsed  since  the  events  which 
are  presently  to  be  related,  that  I  feel  like  one  who  speaks  con¬ 
cerning  strangers,  or  persons  very  remote ;  they  are  indeed 
events  which  I  never  expected  to  disclose  to  the  public. 

The  first  person  with  whom  1  ever  talked  freely,  respecting 
the  infinite  concerns  of  my  soul,  was  Henry  Y.  D.  Johns ;  and  he 
has  told  me  that  a  like  remark  would  he  true  of  himself.  It 
was  in  Nassau  Hall,  then  the  principal  edifice  of  Princeton 
College;  and  in  No.  27,  the  “second  entry;”  a  locality  fresh 
in  the  memory  of  old  Nassovians.  We  were  boys  of  sixteen  ; 
though  I  was  about  to  commence  bachelor  of  arts.  Such  con- 
versations  begin,  one  scarcely  knows  how  ;  in  a  short  time  we 
had  unbosomed  ourselves  to  one  another,  and  entered  upon  a 
close  and  tender  friendship  which  I  trust  in  God  is  never  to 
cease.  During  the  days  in  which  Henry  was  under  the  work 
of  the  law,  and  humbly  doubting  whether  indeed  he  had  at¬ 
tained  to  justification  or  not,  he  used  to  walk  in  the  grove  be¬ 
hind  the  college,  which,  alas,  with  other  forest  shades  of  my 
boyhood,  has  long  since  vanished  away.  As  he  strayed,  mus- 


46 


ing,  his  eye  was  attracted  by  a  small  folded  paper  upon  the 
ground;  this  he  picked  up,  and  afterwards  showed  to  me;  it 
contained  these  words  :  “And  they  that  are  Christ’s  have  cru¬ 
cified  the  flesh  with  the  affections  and  lusts,  Gal.  v,  24.  Try 
yourself  by  this  /”  This  incident  made  a  deep  impression  on  us 
both,  carrying  to  our  apprehensions  at  that  time  something  of 
the  supernatural.  We  have  talked  it  over  in  later  years,  and 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  it  had  a  moulding  influence  on 
Johns’  experience  and  life.  Soon  after  this  we  became  com¬ 
municants  at  our  respective  homes. 

In  the  survey  of  many  brethren  whom  it  has  been  my 
exceeding  great  privilege  to  know  during  thirty  odd  years 
of  ministry,  I  can  recall  none  who  “followed”  the  Lord 
“fully”  (Numb,  xv,  24,)  in  a  higher  sense  than  Henry  V.  D. 
Johns.  He  was  not  a  great  genius,  a  man  of  extraordinary 
erudition,  a  famous  author,  or  a  pulpit-phenomenon  ;  but  he 
was  a  faithful,  fervent,  and  most  successful  minister  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Great  honesty,  transparency,  directness,  tho¬ 
roughness,  intrepidity,  earnestness  and  melting  affection,  char¬ 
acterized  his  words  and  acts.  He  was  a  man  of  heart,  always 
glowing  ;  for,  so  far  as  I  could  discern,  the  fire  never  went  out. 
This  made  him  truly  and  powerfully  eloquent,  as  he  uttered 
just  such  doctrines  and  exhortations,  as  those  of  Bickersteth, 
ltyle,  and  McGhee.  The  catholicity  of  his  spirit  was  great, 
and  savored  of  the  nobler  days  of  the  Church  of  England. 
Equally  remarkable  were  his  courage  and  independence,  in 
resisting  ecclesiastical  domination.  Such  a  union  of  manly 
force  and  feminine  gentleness  showed  how  closely  he  had  fol¬ 
lowed  the  Master. 

In  the  summer  of  1844,  a  slight  steamboat  disaster  caused  me 
to  stop,  with  my  family,  on  Saturday  evening,  at  Newcastle, 
where  we  became  the  guest  of  Henry’s  distinguished  brother, 
Chancellor  Johns.  These  were  hospitalities  never  to  be  for¬ 
gotten.  On  this  occasion  we  were  presented  to  the  father  of 
the  three  justly  honored  sons,  the  venerable  Judge  Johns,  then 
more  than  eighty  years  of  age.  A  few  days  after,  at  Cape  May, 
all  three  brothers  met,  and  I  sat  beside  another  friend  of  my 
boyhood,  Bishop  Johns,  who,  I  am  quite  sure,  will  forgive  the 
allusion.  That  most  delightful  of  seaside  resorts  was  made 


47 


thrice  blessed  by  such  company  of  scholars,  gentlemen,  and  be¬ 
lievers.  Many  an  innocent,  but  keen  rejoinder,  passed  between 
the  two  Episcopalians  and  the  two  Presbyterians.  1  had  not 
met  Henry  for  many  years,  and  we  became  boys  again,  as  we 
rehearsed  the  scenes  of  beautiful  Princeton  along  the  resound¬ 
ing  strand  of  cool  Cape  May.  Everything  now  confirmed  me 
in  my  judgment,  respecting  those  traits  of  Henry’s  character, 
which  I  have  ventured  to  note  above — his  incorruptible  truth, 
his  contempt  for  all  indirectness  and  finesse,  his  genuine  liber¬ 
ality  in  church  matters,  his  boldness,  and  his  triumphant  love. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  he  gave  a  discourse  in  the  Methodist 
Church,  from  Ezek.  xxxiii,  11,  “As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God, 
1  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked,”  &c.  It  was 
delivered  without  notes,  and  was  a  sermon  among  a  thousand, 
if  measured  with  reference  to  the  real  ends  of  preaching,  being 
true,  correct,  fluent,  warm,  and  above  all,  full  of  unction  ;  this 
is  the  word  which  characterizes  Johns’  preaching.  It  was  the 
doctrine  of  the  Reformers,  the  Articles,  and  the  Homilies; 
sound,  evangelical,  cogent.  I  never  heard  that  voice  again  in 
public,  till  it  rang  forth  its  affectionate  warnings,  just  a  year 
ago,  at  the  Anniversary  of  the  American  Tract  Society.  On 
the  28th  of  July,  Bishop  Johns  preached  at  Cape  May,  from 
Jer.  ii,  19. 

These  lines  have  been  penned  before  I  could  receive  any  but 
the  most  general  account  of  dear  brother  Johns’  death.  The 
papers  tell,  indeed,  that  on  the  arrival  of  the  Bishop,  he  said, 
“Brother  John,  here  is  a  sinner  saved  by  grace!” 

I  wish  these  hasty  sentences  were  not  so  egotistical ;  but  any 
attempt  to  make  them  less  so  would  have  impaired  their  sim¬ 
plicity.  In  conclusion,  I  will  not  say  with  Shenstone’s  cele¬ 
brated  epitaph,  Heu  quanto  minus  cum  reliquis  versari,  quam 
tui  meminisse!  because  I  see  and  feel  that  I  am  surrounded  by 
many  ministers,  and  other  beloved  servants  of  our  Lord;  but 

1  will  add,  in  remembrance  of  my  youth  :  1  am  distressed  for 
thee ,  my  brother  Johns;  very  'pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me  ! 

2  Sam.  i,  26. 

I  am  always  faithfully  yours, 

Jas.  W.  Alexander. 


48 


Dr.  Newton's  estimate  of  Dr.  Johns'  Character. 

Extract  from  a  letter  of  Rev.  Richard  Newton,  D.  D.,  of  Phil¬ 
adelphia,  to  H.  A.  Thompson,  Esq. 

“Many  thanks  for  the  excellent  funeral  discourse  delivered 
by  Dr.  Smith  on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Johns.  It  is 
a  beautiful  analysis  of  his  lovely  character.  I  was  so  much 
interested  in  it  that  I  read  it  to  my  people  in  place  of  the 
usual  lecture  on  last  Wednesday  evening.  Every  body  was 
delighted  with  it,  and  many  inquiries  have  been  made  for 
copies  of  it. 

“I  hope  the  Tract  Society  that  has  published  it  will  send  a 
supply  to  the  Tract  Depository  here.” 


These  several  extracts  I  have  collected  as  so  many  flowers 
culled  from  the  wide  field  of  Christian  affection,  and  strewn 
them  upon  the  new  made  grave,  mementos  of  fifteen  years  of 
harmonious  companionship  in  benevolent  effort,  and  of  a 
friendship,  the  recollection  of  which  is  precious  to  my  heart. 

I  may  be  permitted  to  add,  in  the  words  used  by  Dr.  Alex¬ 
ander,  not  “in  remembrance  of  my  youth,”  but  of  my  riper 
years,  “I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Johns;  very 
pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me.”  2  Sam.  i,  26. 

S.  GU1TEAU. 


' 


> 


- 


I 


. 

■ 


•  - 


